[Review] Jabra Play for Wireless Music and Calls on the Go

I would totally clip it there if I was roller-skating. Image source: Jabra

Jabra wants you to swing it, wear it or clip it. Whatever your fancy, the latest Jabra Play Bluetooth headset will keep your music and voice calls tangle free. Thanks to Jabra, I had a chance to put the new wearable headset to the test.

I remember the days when everyone had some funky Bluetooth earpiece in their ear. I recall well, because I was one of those people. In fact, I owned several Jabra Bluetooth headsets in my lifetime – with one, unfortunately, suffering a bad drowning in my washing machine. But as months and years went by, I found that I used headsets less and less. It could be that I talk less and less on the mobile, (or for some reason, people stopped calling me). I also found that while the trend of single purpose wireless headsets waned, there was a growing market of wired and wireless headsets that served a dual-purpose – for music and voice calls.

And funnily enough, I find myself within that category. Listening to music on the headphone/earphone, while answering the occasional call. And I guess this is exactly where the Jabra Play comes in.

Image source: Jabra

Design and Build
The cylindrical headset is made of high grade plastics, with three tactile buttons on top – up and down volume buttons and a play/pause button.

On the front of the device is a multi-function button that is used to power the device on, set up a Bluetooth connection or answer a call. The rubber resin button also acts as a protective cover to a concealed microUSB port, used for charging the device.

The rear houses a 3.5mm audio jack, compatible with any headphones or earphones. The Jabra Play comes with a set of stereo earphones with noise-cancelling buds.

On the side is a clip mechanism that enables you to easily ‘wear it’ on your shirt, collar, sleeve or pocket.

My review unit came in all white, with buttons in grey accents. I personally think the black version with orange highlights rates higher on the sexiness scale. But that’s just me.

Overall build quality is good, as you would expect from the headset experts.

Sound Quality
The Jabra Play packs advanced digital sound quality, as claimed by the acclaimed Danish brand, providing quality audio reproduction for music and voice calls. It may not feature Dolby Digital-type magic like the recent Jabra REVO WirelessI reviewed (which was excellent by the way), but for a product at this price point, better than average. While crisp and clear, I do find it lacking in bass and feel the noise-cancelling buds could be better.

Image source: Jabra

Comfort & Fit
The earphones fit snugly in the ear, as expected. There are three sizes of ear gels supplied (S, M, L), so find one that fits. If you have XL-size ears, I’m sorry. Being small and light (only 10.6 grams), it tucks nicely into the pocket, or conveniently clipped on the shirt.

Key Features

Bluetooth 3.0, including EDR, A2DP and AVRCP for wireless streaming of music and media

Bluetooth range: up to 10 m

Easy control of music and calls – dedicated volume, answer/end call and play/pause buttons

Wear it your way – hang it or clip it on

Multiuse – stay connected to 2 devices at the same time

Can be used with any headphones (3.5mm audio jack)

Talk/ Music time = up to 6 hours; standby time = up to 8 days

Dimensions = 6.0 cm (L) x 1.88 cm (W) x 1.45 cm (H)

Weight = 10.6 grams

Noise-isolating Stereo Ear buds

AC charger

Setting Up
As with any Bluetooth headset set-up, the process is really simple. Enable Bluetooth on your mobile phone, hold down Jabra Play’s call/power button, and Jabra Play would appear on your mobile device. Once you’ve selected Jabra Play, you’re done! Easy peasy. I got the Jabra Play connected to the review unit HTC One in like two seconds (ok, maybe a little bit more).

Battery Life
Jabra claims a talk/music time of up to 6 hours with a standby time of up to 8 days. I think I’ve used it slightly over 5 hours during a recent long distance bus trip, before I needed to recharge.

Image source: Jabra

What’s in the Box

Jabra Play headset

Stereo earphones

3 sets of ear gels (S, M and L)

1 AC charger

1 Quick Start guide

Pros

Small and lightweight

Attractive design

Good sound quality

Good build quality

Cons

Noise-cancelling could be better

Lacks bass

On the pricey side

Price and Availability
The Jabra Play retails at RM229 and is covered by a limited one-year warranty. The new Jabra music range is available at Machines, Ascentouch, Charlie Cellular, Shining, Connect, Phone Accessories, All IT Hypermarket, Challenger, I-Tec@MV.

Overall
The Jabra Play is definitely a step up from the bundled headset that comes with your mobile. Lightweight, wireless and stylish, it keeps you connected, entertained and tangle-free.